State Prison Officials Blame An Escape On Drones And Cellphones (usatoday.com)

An anonymous reader quotes USA Today: A fugitive South Carolina inmate recaptured in Texas this week had chopped his way through a prison fence using wire cutters apparently dropped by a drone, prison officials said Friday. Jimmy Causey, 46, fled the Lieber Correctional Institution in Ridgeville, S.C., on the evening of July 4th after leaving a paper mache doll in his bed to fool guards into thinking he was asleep. He was not discovered missing until Wednesday afternoon. Causey was captured early Friday 1,200 miles away in a motel in Austin by Texas Rangers acting on a tip, WLTX-TV reported... "We believe a drone was used to fly in the tools that allow(ed) him to escape," South Carolina Corrections Director Bryan Stirling said...

Stirling said prison officials are investigating the performance by prison guards that night but pointed to cellphones and drones as the main problem. The director said he and other officials have sought federal help for years to combat the use of drones to drop contraband into prison. "It's a simple fix," Stirling said. "Allow us to block the signal... They are physically incarcerated, but they are not virtually incarcerated."
It's the second time the same convict escaped from South Carolina's maximum security prison -- albeit the first time he's (allegedly) used a drone. The state's Law Enforcement Division Chief also complains that the federal government still prohibits state corrections officials from blocking cellphones, and "as long as cellphones continue to be utilized by inmates in prisons we're going to have things like this -- we're going to have very well-planned escapes..."

Comments

Re:Deflection

[cob666]

He wouldn't HAVE the wire cutters if someone didn't fly them in on a drone. The drone is very much a problem in this case.

NO, the drone is a result of real problems, such as lax security and protocols. Most likely, the guards weren't being paid to look the other way when inmates have cell phones and there weren't adequate measures in place to prevent an inmate from being in an escape position with a pair of wire cutters.

Re: In SC prisons the real problem are the guards

[burtosis]

I think there are already plans afoot to get rid of private prisons in this country. Private prisons are being phased out... at least for now, unless Trump or a later President decides to reverse that decision.

Are you nuts? While it's not really true Jeff sessions owns private prisons it most certainly is true private prisons lobbied trump lavishly, and he accepted the money including over 250k usd for just the inauguration. Further Trumps cleansing of America of immigrants requires a detainment period at, you guessed it, prison of which many are private. It's no wonder Sessions is bringing back 1960s hystaria around marijuana and minor offenses either, the shitshow of how private prisons are run in the USA needs to end but is instead expanding.

Re:The FCC should make a simple rule

[Oswald McWeany]

They should NOT be permitted any outgoing calls except to their legal representation.

Blocking all calls to friends and family could be considered a violation of the 8th amendment (cruel and unusual punishment). I don't think blocking communication with what may be the more stable elements in a prisoner's life to be a good step in reducing reoffending rates.

If they don't talk to the outside, they talk to the inside.

Re:Why?

[Joce640k]

If only there was a way to put a small cell tower inside a prison and watch what calls were being made.

Some sort of triangulation device might be useful, too.